Huitlacoche: Corn Smut or Sacred Gift?
From The History of Fresh Produce by The Produce Industry Network
April 7, 2026 · 38 min · Episode 137
About this episode
This episode explores the contrasting perceptions of huitlacoche, a fungus on corn, between Indigenous farmers in Mexico and American agronomists.
What is huitlacoche, the fungus that Indigenous farmers in Mexico gave thanks for at harvest - and that American agronomists spent a century trying to burn, quarantine, and breed out of existence? Why did two civilizations look at the same diseased corn cob and see, one, a seasonal gift, and the other, an agricultural catastrophe? And how does this strange, blackened organism open a window onto the great collision between Indigenous knowledge and colonial science; from the burning of Aztec codices to the tasting menus of New York? Join John and Patrick as they tell the extraordinary story of corn smut - the Mexican truffle, the genetics laboratory darling, the fungus that fed empires and terrified farmers - in an age when the line between disease and delicacy has never been more hotly contested... ---------- In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business ----------- Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community. Support us! Share this episode with your friends Give a 5-star rating Write a review ----------- Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here…
People in this episode
Hosts: John, Patrick
Topics covered
- huitlacoche
- Indigenous knowledge
- colonial science
- agriculture
- food history
- cultural collision
Keywords
- huitlacoche
- corn smut
- fungus
- Indigenous farmers
- agronomists
- cultural history
- food delicacy
Sponsors
Cornell University, Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Aztec codices
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